


Protecting You

by VibeyCisco



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Barry Allen Needs a Hug, Barry Allen Whump, Bisexual Barry Allen, Hurt Barry Allen, Leonard Snart Lives, Leonard Snart Takes Care of Barry Allen, Leonard Snart is a Softie, M/M, Protective Leonard Snart, Temporary Blindness, coldflash - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-14
Updated: 2019-05-30
Packaged: 2019-07-12 02:52:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15986072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VibeyCisco/pseuds/VibeyCisco
Summary: Leonard Snart was not a good guy. But he has to admit, he may a small soft spot for The Flash. A tiny, teeny, very very mini soft spot.So when he sees The Flash bloodied and unconscious with a man standing over him outside of his apartment, he may have done something non-villain like.





	1. "Snart? Why can't I see you?"

“I don’t see him!”

 

“What do you mean? Like, he left?” He heard Cisco say through the comms in his suit.

 

“No, like he was there one second, then gone the next.”

 

“So you think he turned invisible?” 

 

“I think so. He just-”

 

Barry was cut off as he fell backward, his face flaring with pain. “Yup, definitely invisible. So how am I going to defeat a guy I can’t see?” He pulled himself back onto his feet, wary of his surroundings.

 

“What do you want? What’s the point in robbing the museum? For money? If you try to sell it to anyone, they’ll know it was stolen.” Barry asked the empty clearing in front of him. He had seen the man coming out of a museum with stolen goods in his jacket pockets, which lead him to an empty field that was on the outskirts of town. The only thing next to it was apartment buildings, but most people were out at work right now.

 

“What I want is for you to be gone.” The voice seemed as if it were coming from everywhere at once. Barry looked around, trying to see the tiniest bit of a clue as to where the man was. But there weren’t even footprints or any signs of grass out of place besides where Barry is standing or had fallen. “You see, before I got my powers, I was the best thief in town. Nobody even noticed anything was missing until I at least was back in my house. No traces left behind of me even being there. But now, within my first heist with powers, you got in the way. With you gone, I can once again steal whatever I please.”

 

Two blows to Barry’s gut and he was back on the ground. He let out a low grunt and started to get up, only to be knocked down again. He tried to speed away, but couldn’t as the blows to his gut kept going on and on.

 

He reached out his arms, trying to catch what was hitting him, but found that there was nothing around him. 

 

He heard his ribs crack as a force so strong hit his chest. All of a sudden, he couldn’t breathe. He kept trying to get large breaths in but found that he couldn’t get enough. His vision started to swim, and as a last attempt, he tried to once again speed away. That only managed him to be pushed down onto his stomach.

 

The most pressure Barry has ever felt started pushing down onto him. It felt as if someone had put something that weighed a thousand pounds onto his back.

 

He heard a sickening crack and the last thing he felt was another large blow to his head that finally managed to wipe out his vision completely. He heard footsteps approaching him as the darkness consumed him.

 

* * *

  
  


Leonard Snart was just walking out of his apartment. He was dressed in a plain black t-shirt and jeans. His plan was to go grocery shopping so he could make a pie for Lisa. She’s been bugging him for weeks to make her his famous apple pie.

 

But what he saw stopped him in his tracks. He was halfway to his car when he saw it. 

 

There was a man wearing a large jacket standing over a very bloodied Flash. What made his blood boil, even more, was seeing the odd angle at which his bones were. His arm was bending the opposite way it should and his torso was twisted in a way that even a contortionist could not achieve.

 

Snart acts without even thinking. Even though he doesn’t have his gun with him at the moment, he can still do some serious damage. He tackles the man from behind, making sure that he lands away from the scarlet speedster.

 

Before the man can react, Snart is punching his face over and over to no end. He keeps going, punching him more even when the man is no longer conscious. 

 

Once Snart seems satisfied with the damage, he climbs off the man to assess what he’d done. The man’s face was completely covered in blood, and his nose was definitely broken. 

 

The things in his jacket had fallen out. Leonard recognized them as displays from the museum a couple of blocks down.

 

He pulled out his phone and called the police, telling them that he found a thief knocked out in the field with a bunch of stolen goods. Once he gave his location, he put his phone back and turned to the speedster still unconscious next to him.

 

He knew his bones were broken earlier when he saw him, but now it was almost unbearable to look at. There was so much blood, it staining the scarlet red suit into an ever richer red. 

 

He burst into action quickly, picking up the red-clad hero into his arms. He knew that he should take him to STAR Labs. That he should get in contact with Dr. Snow. But Barry’s wounds needed immediate care. 

 

Snart knew about The Flash’s healing abilities. If he didn’t reset the bones soon, they’ll heal like that.

 

Without thinking too much about it, he rushed into his apartment building, taking the stairs two by two. He only lived on the third floor, so before he could even comprehend what he was doing, he was in front of his door.

 

He carefully shifted the young man’s weight so that he could pull his keys out from his pocket and unlock the door.

 

Once opened, he sped into his room and set the speedster down onto his king-sized bed.

 

Len kept his first-aid kit in the top drawer in his bathroom in case anything ever happened during rogue business. He grabbed it and set it down next to Barry’s prone figure. 

 

He winced as he started pulling back the suit, looking at all the purple and blue scattering all over the man’s torso. What did the guy do to him?

 

Once the whole suit was removed, he got to work.

 

* * *

  
  


It felt as if he were hit by a bus a hundred times, and then a train a few more hundred times. He tried to open his eyes but found that he couldn’t. His heavy eyelids wouldn’t let him.

 

At first, he thought he was at STAR, but found whatever he was laying on did not feel like the uncomfortable med bay bed he was used to. 

 

He groaned as he tried to sit up, his body instantly crumbling back down. That was when he heard a door open.

 

“You up?” A semi-familiar voice asked. “Finally. It’s been a while.” As the voice approached him, he finally recognized it. It was Leonard Snart, AKA Captain Cold.

 

“Snart?” He asked, once again trying to open his eyes. But all he saw was darkness. “Why can’t I open my eyes?” 

 

“What do you mean?” He felt the bed dip next to him.

 

“My eyes. They won’t open.”

 

“Allen, You’re eyes are open.”

 

“What? Then why can’t I see anything?” Barry’s breathing sped up, and his head started to hurt. He knew what this was. It was a panic attack. He started having them after his mother’s murder, but he hasn’t had one in seven years.

 

“Allen!” He heard the voice as if it were very far away. He tried to pull his knees to his chest, but pain shot through him like never before. He screamed, feeling the blackness overcome him once again.

 

* * *

  
  


This time when Barry woke up, he didn’t feel much pain. He felt intense soreness, but it was definitely better than before. 

 

He tried open his eyes, but when nothing appeared in front of him he remembered what happened before. He couldn’t see anything.

 

He heard movement to his right and assumed it must be Snart.

 

“Snart? Why can’t I see you?” He asked out loud, his voice sounding scratchy. The next thing he knew, there was a water bottle pressed to his lips.

 

“You were beaten up by a thief. He really busted you up good. There was an especially nasty blow to your head. Must’ve messed with your vision. Don’t worry, it’s probably temporary. And that thief? He was taken care of.”

 

“Snart…” Barry warned. They had an agreement. No killing.

 

“Don’t worry, kid. He’s alive. I called the police.”

 

That means Joe probably knows. Wait, Joe! He must be worried sick. Now that he thinks about it, all his friends must be freaking out. “How long has it been?” He asked the emptiness in front of him. He reached out his arms in an attempt to find him. 

 

Snart wrapped his hand in his, the hand grounding him, reminding him that this was indeed real.

 

“When you first woke up it had been a day. Now? It’s been two weeks.”


	2. "Call me Len, kid"

“Two weeks? Oh my god!” Barry once again sat up, ready to run back to his friends and family. But it proved pointless as his whole body seared with pain, and he fell back onto the couch. He screamed as his sore body burned.

“Yeah, you were out like a light. Had me worried for a bit there.”

Barry turned his head to the direction of Snarts voice. “What did the guy do to me?”

“As I said, a serious blow to the head, along with a broken back, which is probably why you’re having trouble moving, and a broken nose, arm, and leg. They’ve all been set and healed now, and I’ve taken out all of the stitches.”

The speedster stared at him curiously. Leonard did all of that? Did he take care of him? “Why help me, Leonard?”

He scowled in return. “Leonard?”

“Well, that is your name,” Barry replied, randomly moving his arms in an attempt to find him.

“Yeah, and you’re name is Bartholemew, but you don't hear me calling you that,” he said, catching Barry’s wrists.

He squeaked when his arms were caught, “Well then, what should I call you? ‘Snart’?”

“Not unless you want me to call you ‘Allen’.”

“Cold?” Barry asked.

“Flash?” 

“Ughh, fine. Just tell me, or else I’m calling you Leonard.” He whined.

“Len. Call me Len, kid.” He said, Barry hearing a slight left in his voice. A smile maybe?

“Ok, Len,” Barry said, “Help me get up?”

“I don’t think that’s a very great idea. I mean, you don’t want to cause any more injuries.” Leonard- Len- reminded him.

“Fine then, leave me here. But you can’t get mad at me when your couch starts to stink.”

Len gave him a questioning look, forgetting for a moment that Barry couldn’t see. But when Barry didn’t reply, he was reminded. “What?”

“I have to go to the bathroom, idiot.”

“Oh.” Len let out a small chuckle, dropping Barry’s wrists to get a better hold on him. He shifted Barry, so he was sitting up, feet sitting on the floor. Barry let out a shout but otherwise didn’t struggle. 

He grunted as Len wrapped an arm around his shoulder and pulled him up. The instant his weight was on his legs, he fell back, landing with an ‘oof’ as his back hit against something.

“You alright there, Scarlet?” Len asked, wrapping his other arm across Barry’s chest. It was then that Barry realized what he fell on was Len’s chest.

“Yeah. Yup. Totally fine.” Barry said, feeling his face becoming pink.

“Ok, kid,” Len said. And then, all of a sudden, Barry felt a rush as Len lifted him off of his feet, holding him bridal-style.

“Hey!” Barry yelped… “Put me down!”

“Not happening, kid,” Len said as he walked to the bathroom. “Unless you want to faceplant onto the floor.”

Although Barry couldn’t see him, he had a feeling that Len had one of his Captain Cold signature smirks on his face.

A couple seconds later, and Barry has set down again. He felt his legs wobble, but with Len’s arms balancing him, he was able to stand without falling. 

He had never experienced anything as awkward as being led in front of the toilet, and being told to knock on the wall when he was done so that Len could help him. 

Once Snart left the room, Barry did his business and allowed himself some alone time to think over had had just happened. 

He was attacked by a meta, and then for two weeks was taken care of by Captain Cold. He couldn’t believe it. 

After another moment, he knocked on the wall he had been leaning against, and Snart walked in. Len assisted him in washing his hands, and against his protests, in shaving and changing into a new set of clothes.

It was then that Barry realized that these weren’t his clothes. And neither were the ones he was wearing earlier. He had been in his Flash suit when the accident happened.

“Umm, Len?” He asked as he was being led back to the couch.

“Yeah, Scarlet?”

Barry shrunk into the couch, only grunting a few times as he cuddled into the warm sweatshirt and sweatpants he was wearing. “Are these your clothes?”

“Yup. Is there a problem? I mean, I could put you back into your suit. It’s washed of all the blood, but I can’t imagine it would be all that comfortable.” Len threw a blanket on top of Barry, carefully tucking him in.

“No, I-I’m good.” 

Len turned and was about to leave when he felt an arm hit him. He turned back to Barry to see him once again reaching out.

“You okay?” He asked, seeing the worried look on the young man’s face.

“Yeah. Yeah. I just-” He took a deep breath. “Ok, this is going to be weird, and know that I am only acting this way because I’m hurt, but, um, could you stay?”

“You want me to stay with you?”

“Yeah. Um, it’s just, that I can’t see anything. And being alone, hearing every small sound and not knowing what it is, it scares me. I mean, I have a lot of enemies. What would happen if they somehow found me and I couldn’t do anything?” Barry’s voice cracked as he snuggled closer into himself.

Len could clearly see him struggling, and he knew instantly that he couldn’t leave the kid alone. Having to take care of Lisa his whole childhood, he became very protective. He also learned a lot of things that could help make somebody feel better.

“Ok, Scarlet,” He said, “I can stay. Under one condition.” He got a questioning look in return. “I need a pillow.”

Barry threw the pillow, hitting his head straight-on. “You’re an idiot.”

Len allowed himself to smile as he set the pillow against the side of the couch and leaned against it, his head right by Barry’s shoulder. He grabbed one of his books from the side table and began to read out loud.


	3. "Barry was starting to have feelings for a criminal"

Len watched as Barry slowly fell asleep as he read through his book. At about page 57, he stopped, deciding to save it for a rainy day. Or, for when Barry needed another distraction.

 

He had been hurt pretty badly, and Len knew that it would take a while for him to completely heal. The thing bothers him most is the blindness. Len isn't really aware how the whole super healing works, so he has no idea if the blindness is temporary, or.how long it could potentially last. But, he does know that by now, most of his injuries should have healed. It must have been even more severe than he thought.

 

He looked to the sleeping boy and pushed back the short hairs that had fallen onto his sleeping face. Watching and taking care of the boy for the last couple of weeks has really gotten him attached. He had no idea what he was going to do when Barry was all better, seeing him leave. Even worse, fighting him as the Flash and Captain Cold.

 

He got up from the floor, shaking his thoughts from his head. He couldn't think like that. He was a criminal. And a thief. And a  liar. He took one last look at Barry, fixed the blanket that had started to slip off of both his frail body and the couch, and headed to his bedroom.

 

As he was leaving the room, he felt a deep pain within, remembering Barry's fears off being alone while has was this fragile. Len sighed and stole to the cushions from the nearby armchairs, pulling as many as he could into his arms. 

 

He also grabbed a few blankets from his closet, laying a couple of them on the floor, on top of the cushions next to the couch. He grabbed the pillow he had been using and set that on top of the blankets. After brushing his teeth and changing into pajama pants, he laid down onto his makeshift bed of cushions and blankets, giving one last look at the sleeping speedster beside him, and closed his eyes.

 

* * *

 

 

When Barry awoke this time, there wasn't any confusion. He actually felt pretty good. Very warm. He realized that this was because something warm was attached to his outstretched arm.

 

Barry’s face turned to the direction of his arm, which was hanging off of the couch, and realized that it must be snuggled by none other than Captain Cold. And by Barry's guess, the man had no idea it was happening. 

 

He tried to pull the arm back, but it was held by a strong, oddly gentle, grip. When he pulled harder, he let out a loud wince at the pain it caused. He must've broken it during the fight.

 

Apparently, the wince was loud enough to wake up the man snuggling him. The grip loosened, and Barry pulled the arm away and to his chest, feeling how the angle of the arm went back to that of a broken one. Great. He aggravated the wound, and now he re-broke the fragile bones that had been melding together.

 

He'd have to get Snart to help him pop it back into place. He heard a small grunt as the man woke up, having heard Barry's shout of pain.

 

Barry let out another small cry of pain when he accidentally jolted his arm. Yup, definitely broken. Dang, he’s got to be more careful. His body is even more broken than he thought. 

 

He almost jumped ten feet in the air when he felt a hand set on his shoulder. “Whoa there Scarlet,” he heard Len say, “What did you do?”

 

“What did I do? This is your fault.”

 

“How is this my fault?”

 

“You were holding on to my arm!” Barry motioned, but only managed to dislocate the bone further. He let out a moan and pulled the arm to his chest, curling into himself.

 

“Jesus, Barry. Just, let me help you.”

 

When Barry didn’t respond, Len gently took the speedster’s wrist and pulled it towards him. 

 

“I’m going to count to three.” Barry felt the hands on his arm adjust, one on each side of the split between his bone. “1… 2… 3!”

 

A sickening crack echoed throughout the small living room, Barry’s shout almost matching its high and loud pitch. He felt his head swim for a few moments before a soft touch of a hand on his back brought him back.

 

“Are you okay?” Len asked.

 

He let out a sharp nod, trying to get his breathing back under control. Barry focused on the soft touch on his back, rubbing soft circles. I didn’t take long to get his breathing back to normal, as he was distracted thinking about why Len was being so nice to him.

 

“I-I think I’m okay now.”

 

“Good. You need to be more careful. Besides the arm, how are you feeling?” Barry felt the soft touch remove from his back, along with the sound of feet softly padding across the carpet.

 

Where was he going? “Pretty good. Just a little sore still. No real severe pain besides the arm.”

 

“That’s good” He hears Len yell from another room. What was he doing? 

 

“Yeah, I didn’t realize how slowed my super-healing actually was.” 

 

A minute of silence. Barry hates silence. Not being able to see sucked, but without any noise, it was as if he didn't even exist. It proved how powerless he was, and that he was worthless. He couldn’t do anything if he didn’t know something was happening.

 

It freaked him out. He couldn’t tell if he was alive or dead. Where he was or if he was even real. 

 

Of course, he knew he was real. He knew he was just temporarily (hopefully) blind and that there just wasn’t noise around him, but his mind played tricks on him.

 

The sound of footsteps brought him out of his thoughts. “You ok?” He heard Len ask.

 

“Yeah, I just - it creeps me out. Being alone, without any noise”

 

Len didn’t reply, but he heard the faint sound of music coming from a radio.

 

“What were you doing? Barry asked.

 

“Getting these,” He felt something being placed on his lap. He dropped his good arm and touched a tall stack of something. “Sandwiches.” Len clarified.

 

“Oh, thanks.” It was then that Bary realized how hungry he was. He grabbed one of the sandwiches, eating it as fast as he could without superspeed. Than another. And another.

 

In record time, Barry ate all ten sandwiches on his plate. Len still had a bite left of his one.

 

“Wow, Scarlet. You must have been hungry.”

 

Barry smiled sheepishly, thanking Len when he took the plate from him.

 

“Ok, so I can either read more of the book or I could turn up the music if you just want to listen to that for awhile. Your choice.”

 

“Can you read?” Barry asked, feeling childish. It bothered him that he couldn’t really do anything.

 

“Yeah, sure.”

 

He felt as Len once again leaned against the couch, his soft voice filtering out his thoughts of hopelessness.

 

It was then that he realized that he wasn't scared of Snart anymore. He may be Captain Cold, who has tried to kill him multiple times, but he is also Len. The man who has taken care of him as he was out of commission. The man who saved and nurtured him for weeks, even though he was his enemy and could have done anything to him.

 

Oh my god, Barry was starting to have feelings for a criminal.


End file.
